


Where You Stand

by Jade_Waters



Category: Transformers: Beast Wars
Genre: Angst, Bottom!Dinobot, Canon-Typical Violence, Discussion of Afterlife, M/M, Rattrap says terrible things, Religious Discussion, Self-Doubt, Top!Rattrap, Transformers Plug and Play Sexual Interfacing, discussion of suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2018-08-08 04:25:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7743319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jade_Waters/pseuds/Jade_Waters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“We’ll be lucky if he doesn’t slit all our fuel lines tonight,” Rattrap complained. “We might as well open the front door to Megatron, letting this guy in no questions asked - don’t even know a thing about him except he helped steal the Golden Disk and a ship and Primus knows what else.”</p>
<p>In the beginning, Rattrap hates Dinobot. In the end, he doesn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Where You Stand

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to take a different approach to Rattrap's & Dinobot's relationship and how it evolves over the first season. I reference a lot of episodes, but I hope I've given enough detail that you won't have to remember everything. This fic ends just before the end of Season 1. Please enjoy!

 

_Day 1_

“We’ll be lucky if he doesn’t slit all our fuel lines tonight,” Rattrap complained. “We might as well open the front door to Megatron, letting this guy in no questions asked - don’t even know a thing about him except he helped steal the Golden Disk and a ship and Primus knows what else.”

Rhinox quirked an optic ridge, but didn’t stop working on one of the _Axalon’s_ many busted power conduits.

“Alright, alright,” Rattrap conceded, handing over a hyperspanner. “So he saved Optimus today. And he obviously ain’t best buddies with that purple pirate no more.” Rattrap sighed, “I’m just saying, the Boss is being a little too trusting, all things considered.”

Rhinox pulled back, took a moment to stretch, relished the feeling of his support struts realigning before bending over the conduit again. “Sounds to me like you’re volunteering for watch duty tonight.”

“Hey!” Rattrap objected. “Tell me I’m wrong about him, then.”

“I’m not saying you’re wrong.” Rhinox sighed and handed a scorched lump of metal and plastic to his friend, “We need a new power coupling.”

“I’ll see what we’ve got in storage later.” Rattrap set the piece alongside a growing collection of scrap. “Try bypassing the circuit for now.”

“Mhmm.”

“So if you’re not saying I’m wrong, then what are you saying, Big Green?”

“Well, you’re right about one thing: he did break the law.”

“That’s what I’m saying! He’s a criminal!”

Rhinox smirked, “I may have known another bot who broke the law a time or two.”

Rattrap opened his mouth to retort, stopped. He glared, arms crossed, “That is so not the same thing.”

“Mhm,” Rhinox hummed, focused on repairing delicate circuitry.

“ _Fine_ , I’ll give the guy a chance. But just one! We got enough problems already.”

“And?”

“Aw, com’ on, you’re not serious, are you?”

Rhinox smiled slow and patient.

“Primus, the things I do for you, _fine_ , I’ll take the night watch. I suppose you want me to contemplate how we’re all connected through the great and holy Matrix or something while I’m at it, too.”

“Only if you want to,” Rhinox teased.

Rattrap rolled his optics, “I’ll be in storage looking for your missing processor.”

*

_Day 3_

“I’m watching you, lizard.”

“Hn. Watch all you like, vermin.”

Rattrap glared from his seat at communications. Dinobot kept working on the geo-mapping project Rhinox had started. It was dull, tedious work stitching together probe and reconnaissance data, but they needed a better understanding of the terrain. After being stared at for a while, Dinobot grunted, annoyed, “You could help.”

“Can’t keep an eye on you if I’m helping you.”

“On the contrary: it is wise to keep your enemies close.”

Rattrap was bored anyway, so he got up and started piecing data together across the comm table from the former Predacon. “So, are you?” he prodded.

“Am I what?” Dinobot growled.

“An enemy.”

“Your comrades don’t seem to think so,” Dinobot answered.

“I ain’t them.”

Dinobot took a long, careful look at Rattrap before he showed his teeth in an expression too sharp to be a smile. “No, I suppose you’re not.”

“I don’t know where you stand, but I do know I don’t like you.”

“Nor I, you.”

“You’re a slagging trigger-happy traitor.”

“And you’re a scurrying thief who’d rather hide under a rock than do battle.”

“Stinking Predacon!”

“Filthy rat!”

“Barbaric dinosaur!”

“Dishonorable coward!”

Rhinox poked his head into a corridor leading onto the bridge, “Will you two shut up? I can hear you all the way down in engineering!”

Rattrap and Dinobot glared at each other, but quietly went back to work.

*

_Day 10_

“Ow!” Rattrap yelped.

“Hold still,” Rhinox scolded. “I’d be done a lot faster if you’d quit squirming.”

“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for that fragging pile of slag.”

Rhinox sighed, yanked another piece of tree out of Rattrap’s elbow joint. “You know, so far, he hasn’t slit any of our fuel lines.”

“Not for lack of trying,” Rattrap grumbled.

“Seems to me, if he’d been trying, he wouldn’t have blasted the tree.” Rhinox plucked another shard out of Rattrap’s shoulder joint.

“Ow! What? You think he missed me on purpose?”

Rhinox shrugged. “Don’t know. He hasn’t tried to shoot _me_ , yet. Wonder why that is?”

“He obviously don’t mind going after the little guy.” Another bit of tree removed. “Yipe! Ok, _maybe_ I said something uh... Impolite.”

“Impolite?” Rhinox asked, quirking an optic ridge. He knew full well already who had started this fight.

Rattrap rolled his optics. “I might’ve suggested his creator was a trash compacter. And that his hard drive was recycled from a drone.” Rhinox paused, waiting for the rest. Rattrap sighed, “...And maybe implied that he was so tense because Megatron wasn’t around to give him a good frag.”

“Primus, Rattrap,” Rhinox lamented, rubbing a hand over his face. “I’d have wanted to slag you, too. We’re gonna be stuck here a while. Don’t you think you could ease off a little?”

“I ain’t makin’ any promises, but I can probably take it down a notch. Even I felt a little bad about the Megatron thing.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, I mean, what if it were true?”

Rhinox rolled his optics and didn’t feel bad at all as he yanked out another piece of wood.

*

_Day 19_

“You fought with Tarantulus.” Dinobot leaned against a port frame, arms crossed over his chest. He’d finally found Rattrap alone, elbow-deep in ship repairs.

“So what if I did?”

“You were victorious.”

“What’s it to ya? That spider ain’t as smart as he thinks.”

Dinobot chuckled. “Perhaps not. I know him, though.”

“Oh, yeah?” Rattrap finally looked away from his work to spare Dinobot a challenging glare. “Then you know he’s a sick, twisted son of a spark plug?”

Dinobot nodded, “Hnnn. And worse.”

“So... Why’d you hire him?”

“I didn’t ‘hire’ him,” Dinobot returned, annoyed.

“Whatever,” Rattrap huffed, turning back to his work.

To his surprise, Dinobot answered instead of leaving. “His expertise was necessary to the mission... And available.”

“Hn.” At least that was probably true. Especially the ‘available’ part. “How’d you know I fought him?”

“His stench is even worse than yours.”

Rattrap flipped him off, “Kiss my skid plate.” 

Dinobot growled, “I did not come to bicker, vermin.”

“Then what do you want? I’m busy here.”

“To congratulate you on your victory over such a treacherous enemy.”

Rattrap looked over again, skeptical. “I thought you said you knew him.”

“I didn’t say I liked him.”

Rattrap smirked. “Well, thanks, I guess. You gonna tell the Boss?”

As he turned to leave, Dinobot chuckled again, “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

*

_Day 23_

“He called me a thief!”

“You stole his lunch,” Optimus argued.

“Oh, come on! At most, I was _borrowing_ it,” Rattrap rationalized.

Optimus almost asked how one ‘borrows’ a lunch, but caught himself. He held up a hand and said sternly, “Enough, we don’t have time for this. We have too much work to do for you and Dinobot to continue fighting all the time. And, frankly, I’m just about out of patience. Your fighting broke the communications relay. We needed that, Rattrap.”

The spy crossed his arms over his chest, “Yeah, and I’m sure I’ll be the one fixing it. Ain’t that punishment enough?”

“I’m not interested in punishing my crew, Rattrap. I’m interested in my crew working as a _team_.”

“Tell that to the Pred.”

“He’s not a Predacon anymore,” Optimus insisted. He wasn’t sure if he was defending his command decision or Dinobot. He was never quite sure, with Rattrap, and that only irritated him further.

“Keep telling yourself that, Boss. Maybe one day it’ll be true.” Rattrap stalked off the bridge.

“Where are you going?”

“To fix that relay - just keep that stupid dinosaur out of my way.”

*

_Day 36_

It had been a rough couple of days with Optimus stuck in that alien probe, and it’d left a bad charge in Rattrap’s circuits. He couldn’t recharge as it all kept cycling through his processor. Everything from nearly scrapping Dinobot and nearly being scrapped, to Cheetor probably voting for the ex-Pred over him, to him having his crewmates’ lives in his hands. This whole ‘Beast Wars’ thing was just too much. He’d played it pretty cool but he’d been terrified at the idea of failing - of losing the _Axalon_ or getting Rhinox or Cheetor injured or... He shuddered at the possibilities. He’d been lucky, and he knew it.

To top it off, he couldn’t get Dinobot’s uh... apology? out of his head. “I ought to have followed your command. I... am dishonored.” What did that even mean? Part of him was pleased to hear the slagger admit Rattrap was right about something. Another part was angry, though, frustrated with the formal patterns and uptight rituals. He was angry at the awkward, off-guard way he’d felt in response. What was he even supposed to say to something like that?

To the Pit if he knew.

*

_Day 50_

“This might hurt a bit,” Rhinox warned.

“It’s fine,” Dinobot dismissed.

“Alright.” Rhinox gripped the warrior’s dislocated arm and snapped it back into its socket. The metallic scrape was loud, but Dinobot only grit his teeth.

Taking a deep breath, Dinobot sat up, rotated his shoulder to verify everything was in working order. He winced slightly as some internal connections still needed to heal, but the arm would function. “Thank you for your assistance.”

“I know I said I didn’t wanna know, but...” Rhinox started.

“You definitely do not want to know,” Dinobot said.

“What is it with you two?”

Dinobot quirked an optic ridge.

“You know what I mean - I get it if you two just don’t like each other, but you could probably do a better job of avoiding one another.”

Dinobot shrugged his uninjured shoulder. “The rat is unwilling to tolerate a snake in his nest.”

“You aren’t a snake.”

For a moment, the ex-Pred contemplated his position in this war. He stood up and made to leave. “Perhaps. The final test of my character is yet to come. Until then, I suppose the rat will continue to assail me with his own tests.” 

“Things don’t have to be like this - you don’t have to fight all the time.”

“I understand you desire peace, Maximal, but to me Rattrap’s aggression is of little consequence. I shall meet him on every battlefield he chooses.”

Rhinox sighed as Dinobot left the room. “The Matrix help them.”

*

_Day 61_

“You’re up early, even for you.” Rattrap said as Dinobot walked onto the bridge. He checked his chronometer - a megacycle before sunrise, the sky was just beginning to lighten. He still had a couple megacycles before his shift ended.

“I require more space than my quarters,” Dinobot replied, heading to the turbo lift.

“For what?”

“Practice,” he said as the lift took him outside.

Rattrap quirked an optic ridge, but Dinobot had gotten good at getting in the last word. He spun his chair back around and pulled up visuals of the area just outside the _Axalon_. On camera 6, Rattrap could see the ex-Pred. He stood away from the ship, but within the ship’s shield range. For a moment, he stood tall and still, then he drew his sword and dropped into a ready stance. From there, Dinobot flowed through a sequence of positions, attacks, and parries.

Rattrap began to see a pattern in the movements and realized this was a choreographed exercise. He’d seen Dinobot practice before, but not like this. Usually it was just functional techniques in the training room. “This is something else,” he whispered to himself. Each position was exact, each motion smooth. As the sun came up, light reflected off the sword and off Dinobot: Rattrap felt like he was watching sunlight on running water.

Dinobot at last finished his practice, came back to his centered, still position, sword sheathed once again.

When he returned to the _Axalon’s_ bridge, Rattrap spun around to look, but didn’t know what to say. Rattrap knew he was good at - even a master of - many skills. But he didn’t think anything he did looked particularly beautiful.  Nothing was quite _art_.  He wasn’t romantic enough for that.

When Dinobot stepped off the lift to find Rattrap staring, he gruffly asked, “What?”

“I’m impressed,” Rattrap answered, trying to sound casual and reluctant but knowing a hint of awe seeped into his voice.

Dinobot took a moment to process the idea that Rattrap was being sincere. Then, he smirked, nodded in acknowledgement. He hadn’t thought Rattrap would care to watch, but perhaps he should have known better. Rattrap spent significant time and energy keeping track of him, as he’d promised so many days ago, but he had never shown the slightest hint of approval. Not that Dinobot needed the rat’s approval. Still, he thought as he walked off the bridge, it was pleasing to have his skill appreciated.

*

_Day 74_

Rattrap had his head in a maintenance shaft, but Rhinox could still hear him loud and clear as he complained, “And have you heard him talk about ‘Silicon Valhalla?’ What a piece of work - he’s obsessed! That bot’s just itching to die and I got no interest in getting wrapped up in that mess. Cyber Valkyries and a platinum hall with die-cast shields for a ceiling. What a load of slag!”

“Yeah,” Rhinox said ruefully, “How stupid can a bot be to care about something like the afterlife?”

Rattrap came up short, popped out of the tube. “Aw, com’ on, Rhinox, you know I didn’t mean it like that,” he said, waving his hands. “That dinosaur just gets under my plating.”

“Look, Rattrap,” the engineer sighed, “I know mysticism and faith aren’t your cup of energon. But have you ever considered that, maybe, for some bots, our tangible existence might lack something they need?”

“You saying life sucks, Big Green?” Rattrap smirked, “That ain’t like you.”

Rhinox gave a half-smile in return. “I’m just saying, for some of us there’s more to life than meets the eye. And I can imagine why a Predacon might be disappointed with his options on Cybertron, and why he might be drawn to a perspective that offers him purpose.” 

“He ain’t talking about the Matrix, though.”

“The Matrix may take many forms, Rattrap. After all, it _is_ all of us.”

Rattrap sighed. “Alright, alright - I’m sorry. I still feel like the bot’s a little eager to die.”

Rhinox smirked, “You saying you care if he sticks around?”

“No!” came the quick protest, “Primus! I promise I’ll quit complaining!” Rattrap said and promptly got back to work without another word about Dinobot.

* 

_Day 90_

After the crazy mess with the Predacons pretending to blow up the _Darksyde_ only to try to steal the _Axalon_ , Rattrap gave Dinobot some space. Not a lot of space, but enough for them both to work through it all. He’d been disappointed that Dinobot wanted to stay behind. When it was over, sure, he was upset about not going home, but...

Not as upset as he should have been. Not as annoyed to see Dinobot again as he wanted to be. Much as he hated to admit it, their verbal sparring had become habit.

So instead of admitting anything, he backed off.

*

_Day 104  
_

Right up until the Dinobot-clone incident.

“I don’t believe you,” Rattrap argued. “You’re telling me Megatron managed to switch you out with a clone while I wasn’t looking?”

“Perhaps your vigilance is slipping, vermin.”

The two marched along in beast mode on a standard patrol. The worst part was, Rattrap had _voluntarily_ switched with Cheetor so he could keep better tabs on the ex-Pred. This planet would be the death of him.

“Yeah, well, I ain’t gonna let it happen again. You’re stuck with me this time.”

Dinobot let out a long-suffering sigh. “Apparently.”

“Don’t give me that look, I’m the one who has to put up with your disgusting eating habits and -”

“No one asked you to!” Dinobot snapped.

“Somebody’s gotta watch you, ya scaley two-timing cannibal.”

Quick reflexes were all that saved Rattrap from getting his head bit off. “How can I be a cannibal _and_ a liar? Either there was a clone, or there wasn’t,” Dinobot growled.

“Well you’re one or the other and neither’s very reassuring!” Rattrap shot back.

Dinobot shook his head in frustration, “And how reassuring it must be for your comrades to know that their security rests in the hands of a pilfering, sneaking, unprincipled mouse!”

“I’ll show you, lizard!”

Cheetor comm-ed in, “Hey! You two missed your check-in time again, which I assume means you’re fighting. Again. Optimus says if you scrap each other this time he’s leaving you out there.”

Glaring at Dinobot, Rattrap comm-ed back, “Yeah, yeah - everything’s fine here. We were just having a friendly conversation.”

“Sure you were. Cheetor out.” 

*

_Day 121_

“What is your malfunction?” Dinobot growled at last, sick of Rattrap’s pestering.

“ _You!_ If it weren’t for you, I’d be on Cybertron right now. I’d be fragging _home_.”

“You seem to be the only one of your crew to hold me _personally_ responsible for your misfortune.”

“Nah - I hold the whole damn Pred crew responsible. You’re just the only one I’m not allowed to shoot.”

“Hn. Don’t let the mere fact of my allegiance stop you, rodent.”

Rattrap took a long click to think about shooting him, to consider punching his smug Pred face. It was damn tempting, but he shook his head, “Maybe later.”

“You know what really grinds my gears, though?” He picked up after a quiet moment, “It ain’t even about me - I can deal with this slag. But Tigatron and Airrazor don’t even know what Cybertron’s like. And you do. _You_ get to know what home is, and two perfectly good bots might never get to see it. That’s some cold slag right there.”

*

_Day 125_

As the rest of the Maximals quickly fell into recharge after so long trapped in beast mode, Dinobot found himself pacing his quarters. His internals kept warning him of his exhaustion – as if he couldn’t feel it – but a nervous energy crackled over his circuits.

He felt disturbed by the events that had transpired. He had been completely out of control while trapped in raptor form. He had lost himself. Was it so easy to forget everything? To disregard honor and purpose in favor of satisfying one’s own stomach? Dinobot let his gaze linger out his window as the full moon set. How could he know the truth – how could he possibly learn whether he was master of his own fate – when something as simple as a field dampener could reduce him to a mere animal?

The white moon held no answers, but still Dinobot thought it reminded him of something.

*

_Day 134_

“By the Pit, rodent, what do you want from me?” Dinobot roared, turning fully toward Rattrap.

Rattrap shoved the larger mech hard, “I want to know where you fragging stand.”

“I stand _by your side_ in every slagging battle, what more can I possibly do?” Dinobot shoved back.

They grappled for a click before Rattrap shoved away, “You’re only with us because your old buddy shot you.” His voice turned cold, “You wouldn’t even be here if your mission hadn’t gotten fragged: you’d have killed us with a smile on your face. You’re a stinkin’ Pred and you ain’t ever gonna be anything else.”

Dinobot growled back, equally cold, “Perhaps. But nevertheless, here I stand, and here you _need_ me, vermin.”

*

_Day 139_

“Rattrap to _Axalon_ , you reading me??”

“I read you, Rattrap,” Rhinox said, “What’s going on?”

Gunfire exploded over the channel and Rhinox lost the connection for a click. Rattrap and Dinobot had encountered Predacons in Sector Theta while installing a signals array, but Rhinox couldn’t make out what else was happening.

“Optimus is on his way to your coordinates,” Rhinox said, not knowing if his message was making it through.

“ _Frag_ this comm system,” Rattrap got through, “Dinobot is down, Rhinox.” It was hard to tell through the static, but Rhinox had known Rattrap a long time, and he was pretty sure his friend was near panic.

“Optimus is on his way, Rattrap,” Rhinox said calmly. He feared for his friend, but if Rattrap detected that he’d only panic more.

“- Overgrown pile of slag is gonna bleed out. Fragging idiot got himself shot good this time, just like he fraggin’ wanted --” Gun fire interrupted the line again, “- Sick of this slag, Rhinox, I’m over here replaying fragging raids on Pred Outpost 3 and I -”

“Rattrap,” Rhinox called, “Listen to me, Rattrap. You’re not in Cybertron’s system. You’re on this dustball, and Optimus is coming. Listen to me, Dinobot isn’t going to die.”

“How do you know?” Shots fired. “He certainly wants to bad enough - can’t stop the bleeding - fuel line’s punctured.” Jet engines, “Optimus! Thank Primus.”

When Rattrap finally arrived back at base, it was long past dark. He’d insisted Optimus fly Dinobot first, as fast as he could. Optimus told Rhinox Rattrap had screamed it at him. He’d flown back to get Rattrap, who he’d been afraid to leave alone. After so many flights, Optimus was exhausted, and quickly excused himself from the bridge.

Rattrap transformed into his robot mode and walked over to the CR tank, double checking all the readings before letting himself sink into a chair.

“You’re covered in energon, Rattrap,” Rhinox said gently.

Rattrap looked at him, more tired than Rhinox had seen him for a long time. “It’s not mine,” he replied.

Rhinox swallowed. “He’s going to be fine.”

Rattrap slammed a fist on the table, suddenly angry, “He’s fragging suicidal. I swear -”

“Whoa, there, buddy,” the engineer said, waving his hands, “Vent a cycle, ok? Then tell me what’s got you so worked up.”

“I’m telling you, that bot’s got no desire to live. Only thing keeping him with us is his belief he’s gotta die in battle for the sake of his stupid honor. Think about it: he can’t go home, he can’t be with his own people again. He’s stuck with us. He’s stuck no matter what happens.”

“Hmm,” Rhinox considered. He’d thought about that fact before, too. “But he wants to defeat Megatron.”

“Sure,” Rattrap agreed, “But that’s kinda... I dunno. Secondary. Getting into Valhalla’s what really matters.”

“I hear what you’re saying. It’s certainly crossed my circuits before. But maybe that’s not quite the same thing as suicidal.”

“Maybe. Who knows what’s going on in that cross-wired processor of his?”

Rhinox smirked, “Well, you seem to be getting a pretty good idea.”

Rattrap stuck out his tongue, “Yeah, yeah. I’m going to get cleaned up.”  

*

_Day 143_

Rhinox appreciated the quiet presence of Dinobot sharing the night shift with him. The warrior sat still, reviewing reports from Tigatron and Airrazor, looking for evidence of Predacon activity. However, he had something he needed to discuss. 

“Rattrap was worried about you,” Rhinox said.

Dinobot snorted. “What are you talking about?”

“He thinks you’re suicidal.”

“Because I was shot?”

“He thinks you let yourself be shot. He says you’re trying to die.”

“And what do you think?”

Rhinox turned away, fiddled with his console before turning back. “I think you’re not afraid to die.”

“Cowards die many times... I hope to taste death but once.”

“Soon?”

Dinobot paused, thoughtful. “Death comes when it comes. I do not seek it, but nor do I run from it.”

“Some of us wish you’d at least consider walking away from it sometimes.”

“I have seen you pray. I’ve heard you speak with great reverence of the Matrix. Are you not also eager for the afterlife, Rhinox?”

“As you said, death will come when it comes. For now, I live joyfully.”

Dinobot processed Rhinox’s words carefully before he nodded. “You are a wise bot, Rhinox.”

Rhinox smiled, “You’re not so bad yourself, Dinobot.”

*

_Day 145_

It was a particularly nasty fight.

They were both leaking fluids, their armor scratched and dented. Dinobot finally wrestled Rattrap onto his back across a storage container. He got one hand around the rat’s throat and his eyes glowing green when the Maximal drew his gun, shoved it under Dinobot’s chin. Everything froze.

“I’d love nothing as much as I’d love cleaning your processor off the walls, ya drone-fragger,” Rattrap bit out.

“Hn. Go on, then. Pull the trigger,” Dinobot growled.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t ya?” He jabbed the pistol up but didn’t fire. His voice was shaking he was so furious.

Dinobot paused, eyes fading back to red. “If we are in agreement, then why do you hesitate?”

“Aargh!” Rattrap kicked Dinobot back, leaped at him and took him down. He punched the ex-Pred hard across the face. “You stupid piece of slag!” He punched again. “So fragging eager to die!” He punched again before Dinobot caught his arms. They stared at each other a click, Rattrap burning with anger, Dinobot shocked.

“Why should _you_ care?” Dinobot finally asked.

“Frag you,” Rattrap spit. He tried to pull away, to leave like he always did, but Dinobot held him tight. With one last shout of frustration, Rattrap lunged forward and kissed Dinobot.

Fury made the kiss vicious. Dinobot accepted the assault, opened his mouth to Rattrap, tasted energon between them. The shift from violence to sex was fluid, as though everything before had been prelude to this moment. He groaned as Rattrap bit him, let go of his arms to hold his waist instead.

Rattrap’s fingers worked their way under Dinobot’s armor, sent static across his systems. Dinobot tried to sit up, fight back, but Rattrap shoved him down. “You stay there,” he demanded.

The Maximal pushed and prodded and dragged his fingers over Dinobot’s plates. He kissed and bit and took his time, took so much time, to suck at cords along his sides, his thighs, until Dinobot’s frame was shuddering. Some of it hurt, too much of it didn’t, and all of it was driving Dinobot out of his processor.

“Are you going to jack in?” Dinobot finally asked.

Rattrap pushed his fingers roughly against Dinobot’s port, watched the Predacon writhe under him. “No way, ya filthy Pred.”

And Dinobot laughed as he finally understood the strange polarity Rattrap imposed between them. The Maximal was protecting himself. Not from viruses or violence, but from the spark-break of betrayal after trust. He laughed like broken glass because it was far too late for that: no matter what distance lay between them, they were already entangled.

Dinobot’s laugh ended in a bark of pain as Rattrap bent a connector near his port. Need shot across his circuits. “Please?” Dinobot asked.

He thought he might need to say more. For another, he might have. But he saw understanding flicker across Rattrap’s face, blurring the anger for a moment. This Maximal could appreciate the gravity of a plea from him. Without a word, the spy plugged into him. Dinobot sighed as the feeling of cool, clean oil rushed through his systems. “Yes, oh yes,” he moaned in relief.

Dinobot soon gained a profound understanding of why Rattrap was the Maximals’ hacker. He moved through the raptor’s systems like electricity, slipped passed all his defenses like the thief Dinobot so often accused him of being. The warrior gasped as he felt the spy brush against his memories. Fear prickled across his systems as he realized the depth of the invasion he’d invited, but Rattrap sent pleasure after it, murmured beside his audio, “Shhh, I ain’t gonna hurt ya. Not like this.” The sentiment echoed through his core. The Maximal was true to his word. He touched Dinobot down to his code, but altered nothing, forced nothing.

Dinobot could not compete against Rattrap in this arena. He could not access the depths of Rattrap’s memories or emotions, could not influence his systems the way he was being influenced. Rattrap allowed one thought to move from his mind to Dinobot’s: _“You’re not alone.”_ Helpless, Dinobot shuddered as the thought washed through him, embedded itself in his core.

Then, there, on the floor of the _Axalon’s_ storage room, Rattrap took Dinobot to overload.

*

_Day 150_

Dinobot snorted.

“What is it?” Rhinox asked.

Dinobot glanced over before he played back what he’d been listening to. Rattrap and Cheetor on patrol earlier that day.

Cheetor’s voice came through the comm, “…Taking pot shots at me when we’re supposed to be training!”

Rattrap’s voice followed, “He’s not like that, furball.”

Cheetor: “Why are you defending him? You _hate_ Dinobot!”

Rattrap: “Yeah, well, maybe we’ve reached an understanding, ok? I’m just saying -”

Dinobot cut off the recording. Rhinox waited a moment before prompting him, “An understanding?”

Dinobot shrugged, “Perhaps _he_ has reached an understanding of _me_ , but I cannot see how anyone could understand him.”

“Why not?”

“He is duplicitous in the extreme! Faithless, untrustworthy -”

Rhinox held up his hand, “I get the idea. Look... I know Rattrap can be difficult, but... He is my friend.”

“How? How can you be sure of that?”

“I’ve known him a long time,” Rhinox said, leaning back. He considered what might have value for a Predacon, what might persuade a Predacon to trust someone else. “He gave up his position, once, to help me.” Dinobot turned toward him, listening. “Early on, I wasn’t so sure of him, either. He’s vulgar, skeptical of everything, antagonistic... But we were working together. He was good at what he did, so I did my best to ignore the slag-spouting. Then, one day, we were in a Pit of a bad spot. Our intel was bad, I wasn’t equipped for combat, but our targets found my position. Rattrap was still fine - I told him to get out before they found him. They cut my comm and I was sure Rattrap would leave. He should have. It was protocol. He didn’t. He risked his life to save mine.”

Dinobot turned back to the console. He shook his head, but stayed quiet and uncertain.

After a long moment, Rhinox added, “He’s not an easy bot to know, and maybe a harder bot to like, but if you stand by him, he will stand by you to the Pit and back.”

*

_Day 162_

They’d spent the day meandering through tunnels looking for Tarantulus’s lab before finally getting into a shootout and then a standoff with Megatron. It had all worked out in the end, but Megatron’s casual cruelty was still grinding Rattrap’s gears as he and Dinobot headed to the _Axalon’s_ showers.

Tired and covered in dirt, the two bots were quiet as the hot oil came on. It wasn’t quite a bath, but it still eased the tension out of their systems and washed the dust away.

“A _hostage_ ,” Rattrap hissed. “How can he just-?”

Dinobot looked over, surprised by anger not directed at him. “He takes the most efficient route,” he answered. “He doesn’t waste his time with empathy.”

“Fragging psychopath.”

“He and I are not that different.”

Rattrap turned on him, shoved him into a wall, “Slagging idiot. You were the one _holding_ the hostage.”

“I should have known better.” When Rattrap glared, Dinobot said quietly, “Still, I don’t expect you to trust me.”

“Good, cuz I don’t,” Rattrap answered. Under the hot spray he pulled Dinobot down to kiss him again. It felt presumptive and possessive and it went straight to his processor. Dinobot kissed back this time until Rattrap pulled away, resting helm to helm. Optics shuttered, the Maximal murmured, “That pompous purple skidplate’s got no right to mock you.”

Awed to hear Rattrap’s fierce anger defending him, Dinobot stopped venting at the words. He reached out one hand to touch Rattrap’s face, to tilt his head back to offer a kiss in return. His was soft, though the shower made it slick and he didn’t hesitate to lick across Rattrap’s lip.

Maybe it was because they were both exhausted, or maybe it’s because they’d already spent the day fighting, but the anger had washed out of them both. When Rattrap regained control his touches were demanding but not forceful. He let their kiss go long and languid. He allowed Dinobot’s curious hands to trail over his frame, to pet his fur and drag across his wires. When Dinobot let out a soft moan, Rattrap pushed him back against the wall and sank down to his knees. Before Dinobot could process what was happening, Rattrap had his panel open and licked at his port. Dinobot’s knees almost gave out. His hand gripped Rattrap’s shoulder. “By the Pit,” he muttered, and groaned loud when Rattrap added fingers, teasing along the fine wires so close to his port. In a cycle he was venting hard, leaving marks where his claws dug into Rattrap for support. He was sure he could overload just from Rattrap’s tongue pressing into his port. Without thinking, he panted, “Plug in again.”

Rattrap stopped and pulled back slowly as if he wasn’t sure he’d heard right. Looking up, he said, “Most bots don’t ask me for a repeat performance.”

Dinobot understood why. He understood the fear of being so laid open, so completely known. He didn’t know how to explain to Rattrap that that was exactly what he needed. “Please,” he asked, more desperate than the first time.    

“Ok,” Rattrap answered. “Ok, lay down, then.” Instead, Dinobot sank down where he stood until he sat against the wall, legs spread around Rattrap. “That’ll work,” the spy said, scooting in close. One hand on the wall and one on Dinobot’s leg, Rattrap leaned in to kiss him as he plugged in.

The initial energy surge had Dinobot arching up, pressing into Rattrap’s frame as he groaned into Rattrap’s mouth. The Maximal let pleasure flow out as he sank into Dinobot’s systems. He could feel the questions that filled the ex-Pred’s processor, feel his doubt about his future, his choices. It had been a surprise, the first time, that inside Dinobot was so conflicted. For a click, Rattrap let Dinobot’s insecurities wash over him. He let himself know what it felt like to be stranded, betrayed, cast away. To be only ever among former enemies. To be unsure which choice was the wrong choice – which act or failure to act had led him here – or if this was all just inevitable destiny.

Rattrap was surprised to find lingering fear in Dinobot’s core, although he found no resistance. “I got you,” he whispered against Dinobot’s lips, feeling the ripple of reassurance through their joined systems. “Yes” and “welcome” bubbled up within the warrior. Rattrap let the feeling of acceptance reflect back through the link, pushed it to cycle higher into pleasure, into happiness.

In answer to the cacophony of questions in Dinobot’s mind, Rattrap answered: _We stand together._ He filled it with strength and unity and conviction. Carefully, he braided it all together, let the pleasure build upon conviction upon unity, folded it over itself and built it up again. They spiraled higher and higher together, energy crackling between them until, finally, the wave crashed between them. As overload flooded their systems, Rattrap kissed Dinobot hard.

*

_Day 176_

“Megatron’s getting close to something.”

“What is it?”

Dinobot shook his head. “I am not sure, but I fear our situation may be about to change dramatically.”

“How do you know he’s up to anything different than his usual tricks?”

Dinobot shrugged.

“Have you talked to Optimus?”

Dinobot bowed his head. “I have. But...”

“I’m different.”

“Yes.”

They’re quiet for a while.

“There’s something...” Dinobot began, “In my spark, I feel fate’s test for me will be soon.”

Rattrap scoffed, but Dinobot turned, touched his shoulder, “Rattrap. I cannot know what the future holds, but I want you to know - I’ve stored a copy of my data tracks. I’ve been updating it. It will be here, if -”

“Stop it,” Rattrap cut him off. “Nothing’s gonna happen unless you go and do something stupid.

Dinobot looked down at his companion. “Perhaps,” he conceded, but he knew in his spark his destiny awaited him.

Rattrap moved away, looked back for a click. “I’ve seen the inside of that processor of yours, Chopper Face. It’s more than a little fragged, but whose isn’t?” That wasn’t quite right, and it suddenly mattered that Dinobot understand what he was saying. Rattrap stepped close to Dinobot, placed his hand over the warrior’s claws resting on the console. “What I mean is - you ain’t so bad, and when it comes to it, whatever this test of yours is, whenever it is, I think you’ll pass. And whether you do or not, I’ll be standing beside you.”

-End- 


End file.
